Hello and welcome to the first episode of my podcast A Glass of Wine with Nina in Chianti, your podcast about Chianti Classico. Today I would like to tell you a little bit about myself and how my great passion for Chianti Classico came about, why I turned this passion into a career one day and what prompted me to create this podcast and why this channel may be of interest to you.

I am Nina in Chianti

My name is Nina Tiefner and I am based in Salzburg, Austria. I was born and grew up in Vienna. I am married and have two cats. They are called Bianco and Nero, simply because one of them is a very white cat and the other a very dark tiger.

I love to cook. I enjoy traveling, especially to Italy or the far north, and I love having good conversations with people. And of course I love a good glass of wine.

Never say never

I grew up with viticulture through my parents, in the Weinviertel region north of Vienna. That wasn't exactly the best time for viticulture in Austria in the 1980s.

Back then, I swore I would never, never, never do anything professionally with wine in my life. Well, never say never. My mother-in-law persuaded me to finally go to Tuscany.

It was so important to her because she was convinced that this was a good place for me. I wasn't at all enthusiastic at first, but she turned out to be right. My husband and I went to Florence for the first time in 1998.

We stayed there for a few nights, as our actual stay was planned for Versilia, in Forte de Marmi. From there, we went on many excursions, including a trip to Chianti, the region of Tuscany that lies between Florence and Siena.

The beginning of a great love

Chianti is of course famous for its wine, which almost everyone knows in the typical bulbous straw bottles. Also a very typical furnishing feature of every pizzeria in the 80s and 90s, in my opinion, mostly misused as candle holders.

Even before the trip, my husband gave me two books. A Tuscany wine guide and the Vini d'Italia wine guide. It's as thick as the Bible and for many people it's the wine bible for Italian wines.

We still often ask ourselves today, why did he actually give me this? He can no longer explain it because, as I said, I wanted nothing more to do with wine.

Well, where love falls, because it happened. In a local wine shop in Greve in Chianti, I spent four hours with my two wine books discovering the supposedly best wines.

That was the initial spark for me. I say that was the beginning of my great love. Since then, I have had a great passion for Chianti Classico, this famous red wine from Tuscany.

My second home

A few years ago, I turned this passion into a profession by launching my online store NinaInChianti.com, where you can find wines exclusively from Chianti Classico winegrowers.

In all these years, I have not only learned to appreciate the wine, but above all the people, the landscape, the culture and, last but not least, the food.

Tuscan cuisine, also known as Cucina Povera, or poor people's cuisine, is often very simple, but no less delicious. In any case, Chianti Classico tastes excellent with it.

I regularly travel 8-10 times a year to Panzano in Chianti, a beautiful place located exactly between Florence and Siena, where I spend almost three months a year.

During these stays, I visit wineries throughout Chianti, both large and small. I talk to the local people, I enjoy the landscape and nature. I visit the local wine festivals in Chianti and, of course, I also go to local and international trade fairs for the wine industry.

Always eager to learn more about this wonderful world.

Wineries & Friends

Many winegrowers have become good friends. Many Panzanese, the inhabitants of Panzano, know me because we all enjoy spending time together. We often meet in the piazza of Panzano in Chianti for an aperitivo. A piazza is usually the center of a place, geographically speaking, but definitely from a social point of view.

I personally like to refer to the Piazza as analog social media.

I actually always bump into someone I know in the piazza. Many people come to the aperitif after a day's work to round off the day with a glass of wine or Franciacorta.

Or at the weekend, before heading to a restaurant for dinner with family or friends. A glass of wine is quickly ordered for everyone at the bar, accompanied by a few spuntini - small delicacies - from the owner of the enoteca. And then it's time for the latest news. And of course, gossip is a must. But people also tell me what shapes their everyday lives and what moves them.

This is how I find out about the vineyards, wine cellars and different wineries. But it's also a good place to find out more when winegrowers, winemakers, cellar masters and employees of a winery talk to each other, for example about the weather and weather patterns.

Because the weather is important, decisive for the quality of a vintage. It is interesting to hear how the winegrowers of Panzano, most of whom cultivate their vineyards organically, discuss what is good and important for the vines right now.

These get-togethers on the Piazza are always a good opportunity to get to know people. And from all over the world. Because the wine world is very international.

People from all continents come to Italy to learn how to make wine in Chianti Classico, for example. And some of them stay for good.

Dario Cecchini, probably Italy's most famous butcher, often joins us for a chat. And last but not least, we talk about the Chianti Classico wine.

These meetings often last no longer than 20 or 30 minutes, short and quick, but always informative for both sides and with lots of fun and a glass of wine with Nina in Chianti.

A podcast like an aperitivo

With this podcast, I want to take you into my Chianti Classico world. In the format of an apretivo, so to speak. We meet, listen, ask questions and exchange ideas.

You can easily do this by subscribing to my podcast. Then we'll hear each other regularly. Sometimes I'm alone, sometimes together with my winemakers & friends.

And you can also ask me questions via the link in the show notes. You will learn interesting and new things about Chianti, either from me or from one of my guests. Among them will be winemakers, cellar masters, oenologists, chefs and people from all walks of life.

Because there is a lot to tell, report or explain about Chianti Classico and Chianti. And you can be there when I talk to my friends and winemakers or when we taste wine together.

I can introduce you to the people behind the wines, so to speak, and tell you the stories of normal life in Chianti Classico, which is not quite normal, but a little bit special.

Not only am I enthusiastic about Chianti Classico and Chianti, I also have a lot of fun getting others excited about Chianti Classico by simply telling them about it.

That's why I invite you to travel with me to Chianti, to Tuscany in Italy, at least acoustically. And I'll have a glass of wine by my side for every episode, as will my guests.

Maybe you too, when we meet again. I look forward to seeing you! Ciao, a presto!